Metamorphosis
by Silver Vox
Summary: Sequel to Chrysalis. Ryoma waits for Tezuka to wake.
_**Metamorphosis**_

 **Author's Note** : I tried writing this in Tezuka's POV but that didn't pan out so here we go: Ryoma's POV. I'm not entirely happy with the ending but any more and this would turn into a monster.

* * *

Ryoma was impatient. It was a simple fact known and accepted by nearly everyone who knew him.

That was why he was the least suitable candidate for watching over a changing human for the entirety of the long, painful process that often lasted days. But he had found this human and chosen him, and apparently that was enough of a reason for the old hag to assign him guide duty. Ryoma scoffed and looked away from the writhing human, ignoring the guilty twinge of his conscience at the sounds of pain coming from him. The change was painful, yes, but the mind shut down for most of it so it was unlikely the human- _Tezuka_ \- felt most of it. Ryoma certainly hoped so. This would be awkward enough without the human-who-would-not-be-human-much-longer angered by the pain.

It wouldn't be much longer now. The wound on Tezuka's chest from where Ryoma had thrust his claws into his heart had completely healed not long ago. His legs were now a single, unnerving mass of flesh instead of two separate limbs and Ryoma could just barely make out the first of the scales. There were fully formed gills on his neck and his fingernails had grown into wickedly hooked claws. Ryoma knew that if he were to pry open Tezuka's mouth, he'd see a neat row of razor sharp teeth.

Only a little time left before Tezuka would wake in a drastically altered body and Ryoma would have the dubious pleasure of introducing him to his new existence.

He was starting to rethink this whole affair. Perhaps he should have let Tezuka swim away, not that he'd have ever made it to land alive. Or perhaps he should've sent someone else after the man instead of following him personally. But no, Ryoma had seen him and followed him and had, for some reason, found the man with his eerie composure and absolute immunity _interesting_.

Ryoma leaned back against the cave wall, idly watching the alien lines of his human legs. This cave was close to their clan settlement and extremely difficult, if not outright impossible, for humans to access. It was a popular place for housing changing humans as they had to be eased into using their gills.

They'd been here for two days already and Tezuka had yet to so much as open his eyes.

Almost against his will, his eyes were drawn back to the other occupant of the cave. The handsome lines of his face were twisted in pain, the most expression Ryoma had seen on him. Back there on the rock, he had seemed so calm even when he thought he was going to die. That was a first for Ryoma. He'd seen humans beg and bargain for their lives on the rare occasions they broke out of the sirens' influence before being eaten. To see one remain unaffected, at least outwardly, while completely uninfluenced was nothing short of impressive.

Despite himself, Ryoma was curious about this one. The rest of the clan was excited –his ears were still ringing from Eiji's squeals- but Ryoma's interest was more personal in nature. After all, this was the first immune human he found and changed. By his kind's unwritten laws, that made him responsible.

Though how responsible Ryoma was capable of being was another matter entirely.

A sharp noise from the human drew Ryoma out of his thoughts. He blinked once and found himself staring into wide eyes and a shocked face.

Tezuka was awake.

Ryoma shot a quick glance at the other's tail and found it almost entirely cowered in gleaming amber scales. As he stared, rippling translucent fins extended, a darker shade than the scales with threads of brown mixed in.

A choked sound and what might have been a word dragged his gaze back to Tezuka's face only to see him looking down at his body with an expression of pure astonishment. Ryoma watched Tezuka watch the changes in his body, one trembling hand rising with effort to brush the top of his tail, the completely healed skin of his torso, the tail again and finally the newly formed gills on his neck. The expression on his face morphed from shock to understanding to consternation and eventfully settled into that studied blankness Ryoma couldn't help but grudgingly appreciate.

His mental fortitude truly was amazing. Ryoma was expecting screams or cures or both.

Nevertheless, Tezuka's eyes were still wide and nowhere near as composed as his visage when he turned his head to Ryoma, who answered the question before the other could voice it.

"I did say we were going to keep you. You're one of us now."

Tezuka opened his mouth but no sound came forth. He clutched his throat and tried to raise himself into a sitting position, only to collapse. His new body was weak from its exhausting ordeal and it was no easy matter getting used to a completely new appendage. Ryoma was halfway towards Tezuka by the time the latter sagged to the ground. His warm brown eyes, just a shade brighter than they were when human, watched Ryoma with a myriad of emotions that were better left unidentified.

Ryoma didn't apologize out loud but his hands were gentler than they would have been when he slowly helped Tezuka up, propping his torso on Ryoma's and running a soothing hand down his spine. With his free hand, Ryoma gestured in the air and a thick rope of water materialized, cascading down on Tezuka and drenching him from head to tail.

He smiled as he felt Tezuka's tense form relax, an instinctual response to water that he couldn't quite curb.

"Your body craves to be under but we need to do it slowly so your body can adjust," Ryoma told him quietly, trying his best to channel Syuichiroh at his calmest. His success was questionable but he was well aware that his usual tack, or lack thereof, would only be detrimental here.

"Why?" Tezuka asked him, his body once again stiff in Ryoma's arms. There was no accusation, or any discernible emotion in his voice but the tightly controlled quality of it was more telling than any yelling could be.

"Would you rather have died? Even if I'd let you go, you'd never have made it to safety." It was not the true answer as the man's safety had hardly been Ryoma's priority then but Tezuka was unlikely to appreciate the real answer, which was that Ryoma had done it because he was curious, and because he could.

"How is this any better?" It was barely audible and for a moment, Ryoma contemplated not answering. Tezuka was awake and in one piece- he could simply take him to the others and let the old hag explain everything. It really would be the best course of action for all parties.

Yet something stayed his hand, the same something that made Ryoma follow the fleeing human and stand guard over his unconscious body. Tezuka fascinated him and Ryoma didn't entirely know why.

"You're alive, for one. Is being human so great that the loss is a worse alternative than death?"

Tezuka shifted his head so that he was looking at Ryoma. Their faces were far too close for comfort yet Ryoma didn't move away. This close, Tezuka looked almost vulnerable.

"Being a monster is."

Ryoma blinked, taken aback by the quiet vehemence of the words. There was a moment of confusion before the meaning actually registered.

"Oh. That- the whole eating humans thing isn't a necessity, you know. You don't need to be a…monster if you don't want to. You can just eat fish. Or plants. Something like that."

Tezuka squirmed a bit in his arms but Ryoma didn't let go, knowing full well that the other would collapse if the support was gone.

"You eat them."

Ryoma nodded, smiling just a little. The unsubtle insinuation that _he_ was a monster didn't bother him. He'd been called worse. And while he'd usually retaliate, he supposed he could let it go just this once, from this person.

"Yes but I was never human." He was one of the rare ones who were born a siren. "There are others in the clan who were human once and refrain from eating them. They say it'd be like cannibalism. I don't really agree but heh, not my problem."

"Others. Clan?"

Ryoma nodded and looked away.

"They're waiting. I'm here to watch over you." While he hoped the lack of light would hide the redness of his face, Tezuka's eyes were like his own now and could see just as easily in darkness. All of a sudden, the last thing he wanted was to talk to Tezuka.

He stood abruptly, swinging Tezuka up into his arms in the same notion, smirking widely at the squeaking noise from the other.

" _What_ are you doing?" Tezuka asked in almost a growl. His tail lashed at the air in what was probably an instinctual action.

"Water," Ryoma informed him succinctly, ignoring Tezuka's wriggling and walked out of the cave, grimacing as his eyes fought to adjust to the light. In his arms, Tezuka stopped moving with an indignant huff. Ryoma could feel him staring but ignored that too, smirking just a little in amusement.

He looked down, startled, when Tezuka grabbed hold of a thick strand of his hair and tugged gently, faint curiosity visible on his face.

"Why does it move like this, on its own?"

Ryoma shot a glance to Tezuka's own hair. It was cut extremely short by siren standards but still long enough for the strands to dance in the air to a tune of their own.

"I don't know the exact reason. It's something that happens when our kind is exposed to air," Tezuka tensed at the 'our' but didn't protest. "For all we can wear human guises, we can never do it with any degree of perfection. There will always be things that mark us as other."

Tezuka closed his eyes at that, tail flicking erratically. Ryoma swallowed an apology. It would not be sincere anyway. He did hold Tezuka a little tighter, hoping it could offer some reassurance.

Ryoma didn't take his eyes off Tezuka's face as he walked across the coast and into the sea, not even when his legs ripped and rippled into a luminous tail and they both sunk deep.

* * *

And they lived happily ever after- after meeting the rest of the Seigaku tennis team turned sirens and settling the hundred million things they have left to discuss.

I have vague and not-so-vague ideas for stuff that happens in this AU in my head but for now, this is it.


End file.
